What to do when fallen?

DON'T PANIC!

Ok, so you are fallen, no big deal. It happens to EVERYONE, believe me. Even the most advanced fighters or healers fall, so don't think you're the only one. Also remember that there are rescue healers that just wait until someone falls so that they can go out and rescue them, so you're actually doing them a favor in falling, because otherwise they would be bored silly. Trust me on this. So, DON'T DEPART!

So what do you do once you're fallen? First of all it depends if you're with a group or not. If you're with a group the first thing to do is to yell that you are fallen (type /yell I am fallen!). Even if you are not with a group, it is a good idea to yell because sometimes people just happen to pass by and they may hear you and come to help you. There are mak'ros that you can activate once fallen that will yell at intervals.

Once you've started yelling you should look at the list of people that you are sharing or that are sharing you. If you are not sharing anyone yet, now is a good time to start. Actually, it is better to share before falling since those that you share will get a message the moment you fall if you are sharing them. If you share after falling they will get a message, but only in a few minutes. The message that those you are sharing with get is something like "Drablak had fallen to an island panther".

Depending on the situation, most people that you are sharing probably don't know where you are or if you are with a group. You might be with a number of healers that are raising you as soon as you fall, in which case you don't need any help, or you might be alone. The point is that those sharing you usually don't know your situation. Most people will assume that you do have help unless you tell them otherwise. Some people will ask over the sunstone if you are with a group but if you don't have a sunstone yet, you won't see that.

So, if you are alone, there are basically two things that you need to communicate: the fact that you DO need help, and your location.

I need help!

First you need to tell someone that you need help. It may happen that someone will sunstone you asking if you need help. You can receive sunstone messages even if you don't have a sunstone. To answer any question when fallen, you toggle to answer "yes", and you do nothing to answer "no" or "I don't know". Toggling means to unshare and then to share in sequence, or to share and then unshare, depending on wether you were sharing the person or not. There is also a mak'ro that makes this easier.

If someone sunstones you asking if you need help, you should toggle to answer that you do. If no one sunstones you then you should chose someone to contact to indicate that you need help. If you are sharing a mystic, you should toggle that person first. Some mystics have the ability to locate you over great distances and can tell others where you are, even if you don't know where you are yourself. If a mystic is locating you, you may feel him or her seeking you. If a mystic locates you, he or she will broadcast your location and the fact that you need help. They broadcast by sunstoning to everyone that has a sunstone. Once again, if you don't have a sunstone, you won't be aware of this, but it's happening nonetheless. If you are not sharing a mystic, you should toggle a healer or a fighter. In all cases, toggle once and wait for them to sunstone you asking questions. Be patient because the person you are toggling may be in the middle of a fight and may not be able to answer immediatly. After a time, if you feel it's been too long, you may toggle again the same person, or toggle someone else.

Where am I again??

Once you've notified someone that you needed help, they will ask you a series of questions to try to pinpoint where you are. Some people will first ask you to confirm that you need help. Always answer yes by toggling once and no, or I don't know, by doing nothing. If you are unsure of the answer, don't answer. There are as many ways to ask a fallen for his or her location as there are exiles, so the questions that you will be asked will depend on who is locating you. Read the instructions they give and just remember not to answer if you don't know and you'll be fine. If you made a mistake, i.e., toggled when you shouldn't or missed a toggle, the person locating you will eventually figure it out by your following answers and will probably ask you if you made a mistake at one point. You can also indicate that you made a mistake by toggling many times in a row, say three times.

Here is an example of what can happen when you fall, from the point of vue of the person locating you:

8/6/02 1:18:10p Catlin has fallen to an Artak Cougar.
8/6/02 1:18:53p Catlin is no longer sharing experiences with you.
8/6/02 1:18:56p Catlin is sharing experiences with you.
8/6/02 1:20:42p You think to Catlin, "toggle if you are south of town"
8/6/02 1:20:47p Catlin is no longer sharing experiences with you.
8/6/02 1:20:50p Catlin is sharing experiences with you.
8/6/02 1:21:01p You think to Catlin, "toggle if you are in south forest"
8/6/02 1:21:10p Catlin is still fallen to an Artak Cougar.
8/6/02 1:21:19p You think to Catlin, "toggle if you are in kitty beach"
8/6/02 1:21:23p Catlin is no longer sharing experiences with you.
8/6/02 1:21:27p Catlin is sharing experiences with you.
8/6/02 1:21:37p Drablak thinks, "Can anyone help Catlin who is fallen to a artak in kitty beach please?"

If you don't have a sunstone, you would not see the last message that I sent over the sunstone to all those who have sunstones. A healer heard it and went to help Catlin in kitty beach. People locating you will usually look at the creature that killed you to help them figure out where you are. In the example above, artaks are most often found in south forest, kitty beach, or northwest forest, highlands or north plains. When you know the relative level of the person, or his or her habits, you can often guess where they are, otherwise you just proceed systematically. A good thing is to read Kiriel's toggle locating tips, it helps to understand how it works better.

Just lie there and relax

So remember these simple instructions and you'll be fine. First notify someone that you need help, then try to communicate where you are as best you can, and then be patient. If you feel it's been a long time since you had any news about your rescue, toggle again. Remember that it's not because you did not get a message that no one is looking for you, especially if you don't have a sunstone. Also remember that falling is normal, don't feel bad about it. Everyone was a newer exile once, and everyone falls, even with hundreds of ranks. Think of it as giving work to mystics and healers ;-)